Campylobacter jejuni in waxworms, contagious to people?

[bugmankeith]

Campylobacter jejuni is usually acquired from eating uncooked food and causes stomach problems. I read waxworms carry this and turn black and mushy. So aren't we at risk of getting sick by touching them?

 

[desertanimal]

Only if you don't wash your hands between handling them and putting them in your mouth or on things that go in your mouth. Which, if you know they carry it, I would highly recommend doing. I have had amoebas, giardia, and Campylobacter. The former are hardly any trouble at all. You can have them for a long time and other than the pooping and weight loss from giardia, it's no problem at all. When I had the latter, I didn't exactly want to die, but I could clearly understand how a person could be so sick that he or she wished to die. Five days after onset, my (now) wife saw me and said I looked like I was on death's doorstep. I told her I felt FANTASTIC that day! It was seriously bad. Wash your hands.

 

[bugmankeith]

I'm going to discard the cages they were in after reading this, dont want to risk my health any more, i'll just buy new cages. Also, do the moths carry this, or just the larva?

 

[Wadew]

No need to discard the cages they were in, a good cleaning is all that is necessary! A mixture of 1/2 cup bleach to one gallon of water will be all you will need.

-Wade

 

[The Snark]

I'm sorry if I sound dumb here but, don't people who keep captive animals in isolation adhere to standard lab practice as a rule? The anti cross contamination protocol. It's just asking for trouble otherwise.

 

[dtknow]

Good handwashing protocol will minimize risks. C. jejuni, btw, is a relatively benign foodborne pathogen compared to say, Salmonella or E. coli O157:H57

 

[The Snark]

Good handwashing protocol will minimize risks. C. jejuni, btw, is a relatively benign foodborne pathogen compared to say, Salmonella or E. coli O157:H57

While what you say about Jejuni is true, gram negs should never be taken lightly. Rigid hygiene standards should always be in force.

 

[desertanimal]

No need to discard the cages they were in, a good cleaning is all that is necessary! A mixture of 1/2 cup bleach to one gallon of water will be all you will need.

-Wade

And don't lick 'em before you clean 'em!

You have to ingest Campylobacter to come down with it. I can't imagine anyone with any common sense (i.e, knows when to wash their hands) would manage to get it from their own animals. Restaurants are another issue . . .

 

[Introvertebrate]

As far back as the 70s, they used to tell us to wash our hands after handling turtles, to guard against a salmonella infection. I believe the same goes for all reptiles and amphibians.

 

[The Snark]

I've avoided telling anyone here how to keep and handle their animals. That would be a great way to start a monster debate and probably a flame war. But simple logic would dictate standard lab protocol. The hand washing station is always visited when going between one cage and the next. Any deviation means if one has a pathogen they all have it.